India and Pakistan are set to lock horns with each other once again on Sunday (September 4). This time around, the arch-rivals will square off in the Super-4 stage of the ongoing Asia Cup.
Last week, India and Pakistan had faced each other in the group stage of the Asia Cup 2022, with the Rohit Sharma-led team beating the Babar Azam-led side in a nail-biting affair.
After India’s five-wicket victory last Sunday (August 28), veteran batter Virat Kohli had given a signed jersey to Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf.
Kohli’s gesture was lauded by many and ahead of the Super-4 clash, Haris talked about how big a player the former India skipper is and what it was like to receive the jersey from him.
"It is a game, and we take it as a game. Virat Kohli is a big player, the way he has performed for his country in international cricket, he is a legend of the game. When you talk to him, you always learn a lot. He gave me a signed jersey, thanks to him. I had earlier spoken to him about getting a shirt, so he gave me after that match, it was really nice," said Haris during a press conference in Dubai on Saturday.
Suryakumar Yadav has been in exceptional form lately. In the game against Hong Kong, the right-hander slammed 68 off just 26 balls.
Commenting on Suryakumar, Haris said: "The way he has been performing for India, he has been consistent. When you go up against a big player, you always try to focus on your strength. We will try to execute our plans against all their batters and we will look to exploit their weak spots. We will look to bowl dot balls to create pressure on them."
"Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya are their main players, they have been performing consistently. We will try to take their wickets early on so that India come under pressure. If we dismiss them early on, it would be good for us," he added.
Talking about the group stage match against India, the pacer said: "No doubt, the way we played the cricket against India, it was a good sign and now we are looking to carry on with the performance we showed against Hong Kong. Our players were getting cramps in the first game, our medical team has been helping us. We will look to give our best."
"It is a high-pressure game. The standard in international cricket is always high. Ravindra Jadeja is injured for India but they have brought in the replacement of Axar Patel. They have brought in a left-arm spinner for a left-arm spinner. We will look to give our best and carry on with the momentum we managed to create against Hong Kong," he further remarked.
(With NDTV inputs)
